Birthday
by mydoctortennant
Summary: It's Marion's birthday and a visit from Robin brings back memories. MR


The peeping light of the morning sun trickled in through her open shutters. As the sun rose, the sunlight made its way over, casting a haze to pass over her room. When the light reached her face she stirred, as she did each morning. But today was a new day; today was her twenty-second birthday.

As Marian blinked the night away the flood of birthday blues hit her. The celebratory day would be full of pompous Lords and Ladies she did not know, wishing her well and, what was even worse, was Sir Guy would make his appearance as well. That was the one thing she didn't want, Sir Guy. An intrusion into her personal space was one thing she did not want to worry about today. Let alone the fact that her home would be watched out of fear (on Guy's part) that Robin would come to see her and steal her away.

However, as much as she willed for that to happen, she knew it wouldn't. He would come by but it wouldn't be until long after dark, and even then the guards were too stupid to watch the hayloft, his usual hiding place and entrance.

Pushing her blankets off of her newly labelled form, she approached her wardrobe in hope of finding a suitable dress that would be comfortable for a long day, the day she knew she had ahead of her. She finally settled for a usual outfit, her long green dress and the beige top with brown hem. It was comfortable and there were no suggestions in the clothing to be taken the wrong way by anybody.

Next was her hair. She swept it graciously back allowing the majority of the lower layers to stray down her back, yet another usual occurrence for her. Today, by her standards, should not be any different to any other.

Marian made her way downstairs and was greeted by the usual staff of the Hall. Her father was sat at the dining table with a few packages in front of him. Welcoming her with a warm smile he stood and pulled out her usual chair next to his. With a fake smile she sat; reassuring her father she was 'Quite well' and was in no need of any attention.

On opening her parcels she found the one from her father contained the most magnificent piece of jewellery she had ever known to exist. She knew by instinct it had belonged to her mother, the simple silver, a Celtic design, encrusted with few emeralds. It matched her current dress very well. Another thing told her that this necklace had been worn at her parents wedding, and something else told her he wanted her to wear it to her own.

_He had to go to war_ she found herself thinking as she ran her fingertips gently over the silver. "Thank you, Father."

Edward simply smiled at his daughter and passed her the other two packages. One was from her Aunt and Uncle, the other from somebody a little more special to her. She fumbled with the string around the first package, and found it to contain a small engraved wooden box. A simple design, but yet at the same time, so perfect. It would match her chest quite well. "When you see them, please tell them thank you." Marian smiled before hunting for a tag on the second package. Not finding one she looked quizzically at her father.

"He says he will visit you later," Edward smiled quickly. He didn't know what had happened in recent weeks between the two, but he knew it had been Robin who had taken her from her wedding. He had also heard something about Much, quite what he had done he was unsure. Marian smiled to herself; that was something. If Robin was promising to come and see her, then at least she knew he would come.

With Guy on the prowl, not getting the hint that she did not want to marry him, she didn't have many chances to see Robin outside of the forest. She hoped that he chose a time, although he normally didn't, when Guy was not on the estate. That way she would know he was safe; it would be one less thing to worry about.

-x-

It was mid-afternoon when Sir Guy decided to visit Marian. She had already falsely smiled at so many lords and ladies, faking her happiness to see him would be no mean feat.

A heavy knock on the door signalled the arrival she was dreading, she had heard the soft thudding of his spurs on the hard ground outside before he reached the door. His footsteps were even louder on the wooden decking just before the door.

"Marian," his deep voice broke the silence she had been sat in for the last thirty minutes, the only moments of peace all day. "Your gift is outside in the yard, if you would care to follow me."

He had reached out for her to take his arm; instead she walked straight past him, ignoring his gesture into the yard to the front of the house. There she saw a new horse, it was truly gorgeous. It was all black, apart from one sock on its front left leg. Its muscle tone was impeccable; it truly was a black beauty.

"He's beautiful!" she claimed as she jogged towards him, running her fingers through its mane. "But Sir Guy I cannot possibly accept this, he must have cost you a small fortune."

"He is worth every penny to see the smile on your face," he was off again, trying to woo her, trying to know her, when she clearly did not want it. At least; not with him. "Besides, it is your birthday Marian, and you deserve to be spoiled."

_If I deserve to be spoiled then the peasants deserve no taxes._ She smiled, not too falsely at the horse, patting it, and fussing, scratching the backs of his ears, which shot forward at the small gesture. Nodding its head up and down, rubbing slightly on Marian's arm earned it a leisurely laugh from the now rubbing post.

"Thank you, Sir Guy." She never looked at him directly once, she didn't want him to get any ideas and, for that matter, she didn't want to be the one who put them there. "But I can not accept this."

"I shall not take him back, I shall leave him here for you, think about it Marian. Please. Think about it."

He left soon after that, after trying to 'know' Marian once again. It was becoming a habit of his, one she did not like in the least.

-x-

As night came around Marian relaxed in the armchair by the fire, closing her eyes and putting her head on the back. It would now only be a matter of time before Robin came, and she couldn't wait. Well she could, and she had since when her father had told her this morning. In her hand she held the unopened package her father had giving her, the present from Robin. She knew she could have opened it, but at the same time, she wanted him to be there to see her reaction, but at the same time she wanted to know what it was.

The package was small, wrapped in a piece of dark green cloth, held together with string. She ran her thumb over the rough fabric, _Open it, don't open it…_ She was weighing up the pros and cons of either action in her mind, a final decision of opening it was made about ten minutes later.

She gently pulled on the box holding the fabric around the few small things inside. Once open she rested the fabric on her lap unfolding the corners of the material. The first thing that caught her attention was a necklace, or a makeshift necklace. She recognised the pendant almost immediately. The rectangular shape was engraved with a circle and crescent moon shape. The Outlaws tag. She smiled to herself running her fingers over Will's handy work.

To be given one of the tags was a great honour. It meant you were with Robin Hood, it meant you were an outlaw. At heart Marian was, no matter what façade she put up for Guy, she was an outlaw through and through and had been for many years, many more than Robin.

Along with the tag, she found something else, a wooden ring, it was simple, but bared the same symbol as the tag. Sub-consciously, she slipped it onto her ring finger. Leaning her elbows on the arms of the chair she brought her hand up in front of her face, looking at it. It was so simple, yet so beautiful and fitted perfectly.

Thinking that was all, she pulled the fabric from her lap to fold it up, only to find something else fall into her lap. Putting the wrapping down on the side table to her left, she picked up the new find from her lap. It was a piece of leather, a small bind around it. Loosing it, she opened it, it was a note.

_Marian, by the time you have opened this, your father would have told you I am coming to see you. I must remember to thank him. I shall be at your window after your father extinguishes the outside lamp. I would suggest that you wear your Night Watchman clothing, and be ready on my arrival. Robin._

Marian looked up, her father was walking back towards her down from his bed chamber. _He's coming to extinguish the lamp!_ Marian jumped from where she had been sitting, running up the stairs past her father, straight into her room without a word. Not stopping until she came to her Night Watchman outfit, she pulled her new mask off of the stand, soon followed by the rest of the clothing.

She had never changed so quickly in her life, but if she didn't, Robin would be there and she would only be half changed. Like she had anticipated, he had quickly appeared after she had heard the door of the house close.

"Marian?" She heard him call from just outside her window. He was there as he had said, and still he didn't come in.

"Just a second," she called through from the small room off of her bedchamber.

"One," Robin laughed before hopping through the window.

"That was funny, Robin, very funny," she muttered as she walked into the main room pulling her hair up out of her face and tying it.

"You said a second," he smirked leaning against the window sill.

"I did, but I didn't literally mean for you to count." She picked up her cloak which she had thrown over to her bed in the bluster to get ready, if only she had opened the present earlier. _If only,_ Marian laughed to herself, _the world is full of 'if only'-s, if only he hadn't gone to war, then we would already be married. He wouldn't have become an outlaw, and he wouldn't be living the life he is now. We would be together at Locksley with Much, and he would have been fighting the battle from the inside like I have._

"Well you know me; I don't read into things, I just go by what people say. Which I guess I shouldn't. You tell Gisbourne that you 'Hate Robin Hood' that you 'Would never marry him', but if I am in right in thinking that there is a small band around your third finger on your left hand," Marian's gaze shot down to her finger and she quickly placed her hand under her cloak, out of view. "You _do_ think about it, and you would. Wouldn't you?" It was more of a rhetorical question, Robin knew the answer; he was just being a pain in the ass. "Why else would you wear the ring I gave you for your birthday on that finger.

"It is the only finger it fitted on," Marian replied curtly, but she knew all too well that Robin wouldn't buy it, so she shot him her 'don't push it' look before walking over to her window. "Where is it we're going?"

"That's a secret, follow me." He quickly made his way out of the window he had come through not five minutes earlier. He had been waiting for this all day, it was going to be perfect, even Edward had agreed to it which, to be honest, hadn't really surprised Robin. The rest of the outlaws had had enough of him, they sent him to Knighton long before Edward was due to extinguish the lamp, but there is only so much happy, constantly smiling Robin one can take, all of them had had enough, even Much.

Marian rolled her eyes and made her way out of the window after him, as she had many times before, long before Robin had decided it his new way into her room on his return. Landing softly, lighter on her feet than Robin, she saw he had already run away towards the forest, so she quick footed it after him. The light breeze was warm, a typical midsummer's night, it was humid, it would probably rain at some point, but hopefully under the canopy of the forest they wouldn't get as wet.

Once under the cover of the forest, Robin stopped, now safe to do whatever it was he pleased, the forest was his territory. Once Marian caught up with him a few seconds later he smiled down at her softly, taking her hand in his, wrapping his fingers tight around hers. The dark forest wasn't something Marian was altogether used to, and it still freaked her out a little, so having his hand in hers made her feel secure. It was rather strange, before his return she hadn't needed anyone, but now; it was odd to be without him. Like it had been in the first months of his leaving before she grew used to the new arrangement. He had re-entered her life and turned it upside down again, forcing feelings she thought she had buried to worm their way to the surface once again.

"Just a little further," Robin stated, and started to walk forward a little more. They stopped once more before they made it to their destination. Standing at the top of a hill, in the crater was a blanket, and very few lit candles, flames flickering in the wind. It was Marian who had stopped at the sight, her heart racing in her chest. "Happy Birthday."

-x-

"Robin, this is amazing, thank you." Her smile was broad, and for once that day it was true. There was no need to force anything when she was with Robin. All her dreams seemed to come true, well, now they did. Although it was essentially Much who had saved her on that fateful day, she had still been whisked away by the man she had never stopped loving.

"Don't mention it." The smile that flickered across was by no means forced, nor was it flirtatious, or a common sight. This smile was hers and hers only. From an early age she had known that, even when he wooed other girls, the smile that was on his face now was then, and would always be, hers.

"How can I not, it's just amazing," she looked around the area a few more times then it finally clicked where they were. "And by far the most thoughtful gift I have received, thank you."

"Well I thought the place I first proposed would be the most fitting place," Marian's features must have show her confusion and a hidden joy as he let out a short laugh, looking to the floor.

"And what would this be the most fitting setting for, Robin?" she asked a delight in her tone.

"Well, a repeat; only last time I wasn't as prepared."

"Oh I seem to remember a lack of words, and a certain piece of jewellery," she smiled at the memory.

"I was hardly planning on asking last time, I started the line of thought before properly thinking it through," Marian didn't know whether to be taken aback by this comment, or laugh at it. "I mean, it was spur of the moment, I always meant every word I managed to say."

"Well that I am glad to hear."

-x-

_Hand in hand a young couple, a few years between them, walked into a small clearing in the forest, a circle of trees surrounding a crater. The breath she had in her lungs escaped her, it was a truly stunning sight, the stars in the sky, a dotted canvas which was otherwise blank. The light of the moonlight broke through the gaps in the trees, a scattered light which merged whole in the centre of the clearing._

_He moved his body in front of hers, taking her other hand in his unoccupied one. Smiling softly down at her, the smile only reserved for her. She was no longer the naïve girl who he had known since her birth when he was three years old. In those sixteen years they had been closer than any other would ever know. A love they shared was so huge; the constant string of other noble girls that tried to interfere and claim him for their own could never win over. Nobody on the Earth could come between Robin of Locksley and the Sheriff's Daughter, Marian._

_A hand found its way to her soft, perfect, skin; his thumb running over the suppleness of her cheek. A slight tug of his hooded pullover was enough of an indication. He brought his head __lower; a gentle brush of his lips on hers was enough for either of them to be sent to a place that no evil could bring them back from. But then, when it went past gentle brushing and was more of a careful adventure, there was even less of a chance._

_All either knew at that moment was that the other loved them, and would for an eternity. That's what finally made up his mind. He could never imagine himself without her, and he would not know what to do with himself if he could not have her. Even if it had always been intended, there was a question he just needed to ask her._

-x-

"Even though I have asked you before, it does not make it any easier to think of what to say, how to tell you that no matter what happens and after all that has happened, I do and will always love you. It's a curse, my curse that I bear. Even though I left before, I can tell you now I will never leave you, not ever. I have said this before. It was a mistake, and even though I would have regretted not going; I'd have regretted losing you even more. I don't want to do that again, I don't think I could bear it, not again." Having let all his feelings run out of his mouth, Marian silenced him.


End file.
